Oldie but a goodie is the allegid Dead Mermaid Found in the Philippines...

Not to be pedantic about it, but mermaids — supposedly half-fish, half-human creatures who live in the sea and lure enamored sailors to their death — are a staple of myth and legend going back thousands of years. They don't exist.

On the other hand, there is a related tradition of slightly more recent origin, perhaps dating back 1,500 years, which consists of manufacturing fake mermaid carcasses for public display out of the body parts of dead monkeys and fish. The photograph you see exemplify such a hoax

My favorite internet folklore/myth is the email that circulated not very long ago that proclaimed that Mars was going to pass so close to the earth that it would appear as large as the full moon. I am sure that many people believed this, because it was actually worded in a way that was believable. I still wonder how many were standing out in their yards looking towards the stars wondering where Mars was. It would have been even better if the harvest moon had appeared in the sky as the big red ball it is. That would have been funny.

Can you spot the difference?

Oh, and being a sailor, mermaids do exist, but they don't look like that

I hadnt heard of that one Justa! C'mon, you might of sorta kinda been one of those standing out in the yard trying to spot it

Another fav, who can forget Snowball the Giant Nuclear Mutant Cat

Snowball gained Internet notoriety in 2001 when emails circulated around the world, saying that the 87-pound cat is a mutant cat found in abandoned nuclear research facility run by the Atomic Energy of Canada:

Rodger Degagne, a former employee with AECL in Chalk River, may be embarking on a new career as Feline Breeder. Relaxing in his spacious home on the shores of the Ottawa River, Mr. Degagne recalls how 15 years ago he befriended two stray young cats on the old AECL research facility at Chalk River. The kittens had appeared in late summer and apparently had gotten under a security fence around the old labs abandoned since the late 50’s. With the help of his tuna sandwich, Mr. Degagne was able to coax the kitties close enough so that he could pick them up. A self-described animal lover, he did not want to place the kittens in the local Humane Society. In this largely rural area, cats of all stripes and ages largely go unwanted and are humanely disposed of after a few days. …

"We knew that Snowball wasn’t your average cat when the neighbor’s German Shepherd ran yelping away from his first encounter with her. She just isn’t afraid of any animals. After we found a half eaten raccoon out by the garage, we decided that maybe Snowball should be kept fenced in. We soon discovered that while we can keep Snowball in the yard, we couldn’t keep raccoons from Snowball. At least it kept the food bills down!" Rodger laughed. "Like all female cats she is very territorial, but with us she is just a big ole kitten" he said.

The story turned out to be a hoax, perpetrated by Cordell Hauglie, who just wanted to make his daughter laugh by super-sizing their cat Jumper with Photoshop!

My favourite is the old chestnut Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe email. My sister actually received it the other day and had never heard of the urban legend so she forwarded it on to me! I just can't believe that a similar legend - involving a red velvet fudge cake has been going since approx. 1948.

It loses something over here in the UK because we don't get Neiman-Marcus products - but if you go to their site they have actually acknowledged the legend by posting their recipe up on the web!!

And here is the email as received - I felt kinda happy about receiving it because this was the first time I had seen it in the flesh so to speak:

RIPOFF RECIPE

A little background: Neiman-Marcus, if you don't knowAlready, is a very expensive store; I.e., they sell your typical$8.00 T-shirt for $50.00.

THIS IS A TRUE STORY! My daughter and I had just finished aSalad at a Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas, and we Decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us Are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus cookie."

It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me The recipe, and the waitress said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not, But you can buy the recipe." Well, I asked how much, And she responded, "Only two fifty-it's a great deal!" I agreed to that, and told her to just add it to myTab. Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement, And the Neiman-Marcus charge was $285.00! I looked again, and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 For a scarf. As I glanced at the Bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe-$250.00". That was outrageous!

I called Neiman's Accounting Department and told them The waitress said it was "two fifty", which clearly does not mean "two Hundred and fifty dollars" by any reasonable interpretation of the Phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge. They would not Refund my money because, according to them, "What the Waitress told you is not our problem. You have already Seen the recipe. We absolutely will not refund your Money at this point."

I explained to the Accounting Department lady the Criminal statutes which govern fraud in the state of Texas. I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau and the Texas Attorney General's Office for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want. Don't bother thinking of how you Can get even, and don't bother trying to get any ofYour money back."

I just said, Okay, you folks got my $250, and now I'm Going to have $250 worth of fun." I told her that I Was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250 cookie Recipe from Neiman-Marcus...for free. She replied, "I Wish you wouldn't do this." I said, "Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you ripped me off!" and slammed down the phone.

So here it is! Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can Possibly think of. I paid $250 for this, and I don't Want Neiman-Marcus to EVER make another penny off of this recipe!

PLEASE READ THE RECIPE AND SEND IT TO EVERY PERSON YOUKNOW WHO H! AS AN E- MAIL ADDRESS! THIS IS REALLYTERRIFIC!! Even if the people on your e-mail list don't eatSweets send it to them and ask them to pass it on.

As a techie, I must warn that several of these stories are not just annoying, but can cause you big-time trouble. An email which states that Osama Bin Laden has surrendered really contains a virus. That war widow needing to smuggle 25 million bucks out of her country just wants to clean your bank account (the FBI actually has a file on this scam and asks you forward any such emails to them with full headers).

Interests:Ghost hunting of course! Motorcycles is a big interest of mine. I also am a guitar player (hence my username) but I haven't practiced much over the last year or two. I also enjoy spending time with my wife and family when possible.

Posted 03 August 2006 - 02:38 AM

I still can't believe that the Nigerian Scam is circulating under different variations.

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND 'TOP SECRET'. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A TRANSACTION OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING TRANSACTION REQUIRING MAXIIMUM CONFIDENCE.

WE ARE TOP OFFICIAL OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IMPORATION OF GOODS INTO OUR COUNTRY WITH FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN NIGERIA. IN ORDER TO COMMENCE THIS BUSINESS WE SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE US TRANSFER INTO YOUR ACCOUNT THE SAID TRAPPED FUNDS.

THE SOURCE OF THIS FUND IS AS FOLLOWS; DURING THE LAST MILITARY REGIME HERE IN NIGERIA, THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SET UP COMPANIES AND AWARDED THEMSELVES CONTRACTS WHICH WERE GROSSLY OVER-INVOICED IN VARIOUS MINISTRIES. THE PRESENT CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT SET UP A CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF INFLATED CONTRACT FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY FLOATING IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA READY FOR PAYMENT.

HOWEVER, BY VIRTUE OF OUR POSITION AS CIVIL SERVANTS AND MEMBERS OF THIS PANEL, WE CANNOT ACQUIRE THIS MONEY IN OUR NAMES. I HAVE THEREFORE, BEEN DELEGATED AS A MATTER OF TRUST BY MY COLLEAGUES OF THE PANEL TO LOOK FOR AN OVERSEAS PARTNER INTO WHOSE ACCOUNT WE WOULD TRANSFER THE SUM OF US$21,320,000.00(TWENTY ONE MILLION, THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS). HENCE WE ARE WRITING YOU THIS LETTER. WE HAVE AGREED TO SHARE THE MONEY THUS; 1. 20% FOR THE ACCOUNT OWNER 2. 70% FOR US (THE OFFICIALS) 3. 10% TO BE USED IN SETTLING TAXATION AND ALL LOCAL AND FOREIGN EXPENSES. IT IS FROM THE 70% THAT WE WISH TO COMMENCE THE IMPORTATION BUSINESS.

PLEASE,NOTE THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% SAFE AND WE HOPE TO COMMENCE THE TRANSFER LATEST SEVEN (7) BANKING DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE RECEIPT OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATIOM BY TEL/FAX; 234-1-7740449, YOUR COMPANY'S SIGNED, AND STAMPED LETTERHEAD PAPER THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL ENABLE US WRITE LETTERS OF CLAIM AND JOB DESCRIPTION RESPECTIVELY. THIS WAY WE WILL USE YOUR COMPANY'S NAME TO APPLY FOR PAYMENT AND RE-AWARD THE CONTRACT IN YOUR COMPANY'S NAME.

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THIS BUSINESS WITH YOU AND SOLICIT YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY IN THIS TRANSATION. PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECEIPT OF THIS LETTER USING THE ABOVE TEL/FAX NUMBERS. I WILL SEND YOU DETAILED INFORMATION OF THIS PENDING PROJECT WHEN I HAVE HEARD FROM YOU.

YOURS FAITHFULLY,

DR CLEMENT OKON

NOTE; PLEASE QUOTE THIS REFERENCE NUMBER (VE/S/09/99) IN ALL YOUR RESPONSES.

Ah. Well... I attended Juilliard... I'm a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT... NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY... NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I'm qualified? --BeetlejuiceI'm the ghost with the most, babe.--BeetlejuiceWe've come for your daughter Chuck--Beetlejuice

One Nigerian was arrested day before yesterday (wednesday) in Mumbai for the same scam and he had fooled people of millions, especially in Bangalore and Mumbai. I guess people are more careful dealing with this. Even I won 5 million dollars 3 years ago, and was shocked to see that I won a lotto which I didn't enter! Moreover, they mentioned that I won it because I was the millionth visitor to a site (which I didnt visit). I sent them a mail, and I got a reply with some pre-format style. I checked their IP and it was all a mess, with office in london, telephone from malaysia etc etc......I was supposed to send them a commission and my passport and account details, but a little bit of cross checkings helped me.

Smooth moves, Moonie. A lot of people I know would have fallen for that. Those scammers are pretty smart. In fact, my mom got one just yesterday. I wanted to mess around with him (been researching scambaiting lately ), but he had my mom's actual name so we just deleted and blocked him.

had to laugh when that one showed up in my email some years ago.my grandmother cut that recipe out of the food section of a newspaper some 25yrs ago.they are really ,extremely ,very delicious.you have to make them with big scoops of dough.crispy on the outside chewy in the middle.the oatmeal flour is the trick~~amy~~

Interests:Ghost hunting of course! Motorcycles is a big interest of mine. I also am a guitar player (hence my username) but I haven't practiced much over the last year or two. I also enjoy spending time with my wife and family when possible.

Posted 04 August 2006 - 02:43 AM

Moon, I sent a reply to one of these types of scams with a link to the Snopes.com page that debunks them. The guy was in Africa somewhere along the Ivory Coast.

Ah. Well... I attended Juilliard... I'm a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT... NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY... NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I'm qualified? --BeetlejuiceI'm the ghost with the most, babe.--BeetlejuiceWe've come for your daughter Chuck--Beetlejuice

eBay seems to be cursed with those Nigerian scams here in the UK - they actually contact you through your eBay ID and request goods, money or services. Some of them ask to to essentially launder money through your paypal account!! I got a really good one when I sold a mobile phone via eBay but I blocked the guy from bidding - my Dad later told me he had the same guy and contacted eBay about it and they said they're getting more and more drug dealers scamming people for phones on eBay - so watch out!!!

This one made the rounds for quite a while. Every now and then it still pops up. The snake seems to change depending on the version of the story, and of course the location changes, and whatever the victim was doing at the time changes too.

Here are some of the versions:

This really happened In Brazil...Three Locals went hunting in the forest and did the usual during the day, they went to sleep. When they woke up the next morning, one of the guys was missing...

The other two searched for their missing friend and when they ran across this anaconda with a huge lump..... well they caught the anaconda and took it to town since they feared that their friend was the victim. Surprise: it was!

He was swallowed in one piece by a 17 FT anaconda. That's not a way anyone wants to go.

This is scary. Ok, this is unbelievable. The story goes that 3 military guys in Singapore were spending the night in the jungle. When they bedded down at night there were 3 of them, when they awoke in the morning there were only 2. The 2 remaining men did not hear or see what happened to their partner during the night. The following photos show a python. They found it nearby. It was having trouble moving...

A CREW MEMBER ON A LAND OIL RIG IN AMAZONAS WENT OUT AND TOOK A NAP. YES, A NAP. HE WAS MISSING AND THIS IS WHAT THEY FOUND.

There is a third picture which is a little too graphic, but it shows the body of somebody inside of the snake.

There are those who claim that the snake ate a small deer. The snake was captured and cut open, the deer carcass was removed, and a volunteer climbed into the snake to make it look like a person had been eaten.